Nurses at the Port Augusta and Quorn hospitals are likely to be those feeling the impact of changes to staffing rosters enforced by the health department, the South Australian Medical Association’s (AMA) state president Dr Andrew Lavender says.
Late last month the association raised concerns about changes the health department had instructed for streamlined nursing rosters in regional facilities under a major review of staffing levels.
The AMA said the Country Health SA review, would affect 36 hospitals at a saving of about $22 million.
Dr Lavender said the Port Augusta and Quorn hospitals would most likely be feeling the impact.
He said country hospital staffing issues continued to be treated the same as their metropolitan equivalent, but at a negative cost.
“The workload in country hospitals in very variable in comparison to metropolitan hospitals,” Dr Lavender said.
“Because of the nature of country hospitals, staffing is going to be different … and they need to be staffed for different workloads.
“Our opinion is that they (the department) need to recognise this,” he said.
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